The
Bibliotheca Alexandrina(BA)
aspires to establish strong knowledge networks through Africa in order to expand the African innovation by using science and technology.

The idea is to use the internet not just to connect people or to seek the wisdom of the crowds by crowd-sourcing; it is rather about connecting people with common interests and expertise so that they can build on each other’s contributions and develop knowledge faster and share it immediately.

One of the best programs that we did with these collections was “The Seeds of Hope” program, where samples from these collections were used to re-create the national collections of countries like Rwanda, when the national collections were destroyed or lost during the years of fighting and genocide.
Since then, the world’s Gene Banks have been collected and placed in special cold storage in Svalbard in Norway. It is an impressive facility that speaks volumes about the international collaboration of humans who understand the importance of working with nature not against it.Continue Reading...

Ismail Serageldin
Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina(BA)

Quotations

The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.

- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

You cannot say you've achieved equality until EVERYONE is equal and has equal opportunities!

- Leymah Gbowee

We go into rural communities, and all we do - like has been done in this room [at TED] - is create the space. When these girls sit ... you unlock great leaders.

- Leymah Gbowee

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

- Nelson Mandela

It is important to nurture any new ideas and initiatives which can make a difference for Africa.

Fun Facts

The WWF estimate that by 2030, the number of people employed by the farming industry will amount to over one million. This proposed increase will be up from that of the 2015 statistic of 638 000. This takes into account formal employment contracts only. The exact amount of informally employed farm workers is still unknown.

According to the 2015 World Wildlife Foundation Report, only 13% of our nation’s land is arable and good for cultivating crops. The vast majority of our land, almost 69%, is used for grazing, which would explain why the farming of livestock is one of our most popular types of farming.

Using today’s irrigation methods, 2,000 more cubic kilometers of water will be needed per year in 2030 to keep everyone fed.

Globally, agriculture water withdrawals (2,703 km3/yr) account for more than double the combined withdrawals for municipal and industrial use (468 km3/yr and 731 km3/yr, respectively).